How many people watched the presidential debate? Ratings are in for ABC’s Trump-Harris showdown

Washington — More than 67 million viewers tuned in to the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris this week, far surpassing the viewership of the matchup between President Biden and Trump earlier this year. 

How many people watched ABC’s presidential debate?

The ABC News debate had an estimated audience of 67.1 million, and aired across 17 stations, according to Nielsen, a media analytics company. The 90-minute debate was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in a high-stakes showdown that may shape the remainder of the campaign with Election Day fast approaching, as the candidates clashed over immigration, abortion, the economy, foreign policy and more. 

The debate came as the presidential race has been transformed in recent months, with a new Democratic ticket following the president’s decision to leave the race. Mr. Biden and Trump faced off in CNN’s presidential debate on June 27 in Atlanta, in a matchup that garnered 51.3 million viewers and came unusually early in the campaign cycle. 

Harris and Trump’s highly anticipated matchup marked the first time the two had met, and could be the only time they go head to head on the debate stage. While the Harris campaign wasted little time before calling for a second debate after the first wrapped, Trump has been noncommittal about whether he would participate in a rematch. 

Heading into the debate, Harris and Trump were locked in a tight race in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to CBS News polling. 

How do the debate ratings compare to past debates?

Viewership has shifted dramatically in recent years, with many Americans opting for streaming and social media platforms and changing the traditional television audience in the process. While the Harris-Trump matchup marked an increase in viewership from the June debate, it fell short of the first debate in the last presidential election. 

In 2020, more than 73 million people watched the first debate between Biden and Trump across all TV networks. 

Still, the ABC News debate drew around 19 million viewers to the network itself, which it said represents the most-watched debate in the last 16 years on on any network. CNN drew around 9.5 million television viewers to its flagship channel in June.

When was the most watched presidential debate?

A record 84 million people tuned in for the first debate between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Trump in 2016, marking the highest viewership of any single debate. Before that, the previous record was 80 million, which was set by the 1980 debate between former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.